title: Surgical management of late esophageal perforation.
abstract: Over sixteen years we have gained experience in the delayed surgical management of esophageal rupture in nine patients who received treatments more than 24 hours after perforation. The causes of perforation were Boerhaave's syndrome or barotrauma in four patients, foreign bodies in two, and other causes in three. Three patients presented in septic shock and four in respiratory failure. Three surgical options were used for treatment: simple thoracic drainage in two patients, T-tube placement in four, and esophagectomy with secondary reconstruction in three. Eight patients (89%) survived. T-tube placement was effective in that it was a one-stage operation which could be used on severe esophageal injuries in patients in poor general condition. Three patients who underwent esophagectomy and secondary alimentary restoration required long hospital stays (119,201, and 648 days). Although the number of cases is small, T-tube insertion for the late management of esophageal rupture appears to be a simple and effective method which avoids the postoperative complications associated with primary closure or two-stage operations.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Furuya
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ueno
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okamoto
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nagai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murakawa
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takayama
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mafune
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Makuuchi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nobori
mesh_terms: D004322:Drainage; D016629:Esophagectomy; D004947:Esophagus / Q000293:injuries* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007440:Intubation; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000209:etiology; D012421:Rupture; D012772:Shock, Septic / Q000209:etiology; D013997:Time Factors